For nine nights in October, the seventh annual Spooky Movie International Horror Film Festival showcases the best in new horror cinema from around the world, and for the first time the entire festival (more than 50 shorts and features) takes place at AFI Silver!

Opening Night features a very dark horror/comedy which premiered at Sundance, EXCISION, from McLean, Virginia, native Richard Bates, Jr. (who will be in attendance). Highlights include Jennifer Lynch's controversial shocker CHAINED; the hysterical Canadian zombie comedy A LITTLE BIT ZOMBIE; the modern "horror masterpiece" RESOLUTION, which had its world premiere at Tribeca this spring; an intense German documentary on death and fantasy called ZERO KILLED; a document of the stage's definitive "spook show," PLAY DEAD, from Teller (of Penn and Teller); the world premieres of two locally produced movies: A SWEET AND VICIOUS BEAUTY and NINJAS VS. MONSTERS; and on Closing Night, Brazilian filmmaker Paulo Biscaia Filho in attendance for the U.S. premiere of his mind-bending film NERVO CRANIANO ZERO.

Opening Night:

EXCISIONPost-screening Q&A with director Richard Bates, Jr.

Alienated teen Pauline (AnnaLynne McCord) struggles with the pressures of fitting into high school, pleasing her parents and a burning desire to lose her virginity. With a grotesque curiosity for the darker side of life, she retreats into her demented erotic fantasies of flesh, death and salvation. A remarkable dark achievement, director (and Northern Virginia native) Bates' feature expands on his award-winning short, which played at Spooky Movie 2008. "This funny, shocking and soulful power slam of a teen-outsider film stars AnnaLynne McCord, Ariel Winter, Traci Lords, John Waters and Malcolm McDowell and blew no shortage of minds when it launched at Sundance earlier this year."— Film Threat.

Ken Boyd (Kevin Corrigan) is a lonely father fresh out of the mental hospital who sets out to kill those he deems responsible for his pathetic life. Produced by the man who practically invented the horror/comedy genre, John Landis (AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON), and co-starring Barry Bostwick in a wonderful role as a bumbling sheriff and Karen Black as an apathetic mom, this is one of the more exciting films on the horror circuit in the year since its premiere in 2011. It's a thrill to have the opportunity to exhibit it in the D.C. area.

Sometimes the worst secrets can't be buried. What seems like the right thing to do can be the most dangerous thing of all. Cassie Naylor (Kierston Wareing) killed her husband to protect her daughters from him. When charming drifter Aden (Vincent Regan) shows up eight months later, Cassie's terrible secret comes back to haunt her in the most horrifying and unexpected way. A favorite at Film4Frightfest and Fantastic Fest, this film is a burning thriller about the destructive nature of secrets and the shocking lengths to which people will go to fight for what they value most in life. "Racked with tension and a genuine sense of malice…four stars!" — Horrortalk.

BRAINEATER A group of young children have the backyard campout of their lives. DIR/SCR/PROD Mitch Urban. US, 2012, 5 min.

LOVE BUG Frank's blind date is way out of his league. However, when she contracts a mysterious virus, it looks like his luck may change. DIR/SCR/PROD Benjamin Kent; SCR Joel Wilenius. UK, 2011, 13 min.

In this film version of their off-Broadway show PLAY DEAD, famed silent magician Teller (of Penn & Teller) and brilliantly funny Coney Island showman Todd Robbins thrill a live audience with gory, ghastly spectacles based on real-life killers and psychic pranksters. Shot by "Dark Stars Rising" author Shade Rupe, the film is inspired by the American spook show, an underground entertainment which thrived from the 1930s to the 1970s. "A gleefully grotesque orgy of death and fright!" — The New York Times. "There are moments earlier in the show that make you wonder if something is going to reach out from the void in your theater and scare the bejeezus out of you! Three and a half stars!" — Film Threat.

Sex! Zombies! War! From the insane creators of the blood-soaked BORDELLO DEATH TALES comes this terrifying anthology, this time set against the backdrop of World War II.

MEDAL OF HORROR Director Jim Eaves (BANE, Spooky Movie 2007) takes the audience on a suicide mission with a young soldier doing all he can to defeat the Nazi menace as he attempts to rescue a burlesque dancer from zombified soldiers and a Nazi death queen.

DEVILS OF THE BLITZ A family sheltering from Nazi bombers is terrorized by flesh-eating devils. Director Pat Higgins (THE DEVIL'S MUSIC) crafts a dark tale of suspense, edged with pitch-black comedy.

Eight-year-old Tim and his mother Sarah (Julia Ormond) are picked up by Bob (Vincent D'Onofrio), a deranged taxicab driver. Bob murders Tim's mother in front of him, then keeps him as a reluctant protégé, forcing him to clean and bury the bodies of the victims he drags home. As a teenager, Tim (Eamon Farren) must make a life-or-death choice between following in Bob's footsteps or breaking free. Not an experience audiences will easily shake. "[Director] Jennifer Lynch and Vincent D'Onofrio dive deep into the abuse that creates monstrosities and emerge with the portrait of a complicated human monster, who is not once allowed to be the hero. The MPAA may believe that CHAINED is too real to be seen, but that is exactly why you should see it." — Sound on Sight.

Between 1996 and 2007, Polish filmmaker Michal Kosakowski asked more than 160 people to act out their murder fantasies on camera. He then turned the results into a video installation called Fortynine. An extraordinary and chilling film, ZERO KILLED includes excerpts from the videos and follow-up interviews with participants, some of them contacted many years later. The angry impulse to kill may be universal, but only the particulars bring it home. "The term 'hardcore' regains its original interpretation!" — Splattering Image. Winner, Best Documentary Feature, 2012 Chicago Underground Film Festival.

MR. MONSTER Children are locked inside a warehouse filled with serial killers and psychos for a month to help train them to become young assassins. DIR/SCR/PROD Simon Hung; PROD Nick DeRuve. Canada/US, 2012, 20 min.

T IS FOR TRICK Unsettling short by the co-director of PLAY DEAD for the "ABCs of Death" contest. "Elegantly shot, sharply edited and strongly conceived and directed four minutes of film-making. Colour me impressed!" — Clive Barker. DIR Shade Rupe. US, 2011, color, 4 min.

Hysterical and gory, this festival favorite is for everyone who loved the Spooky Movie 2010 Opening Night feature, TUCKER AND DALE VS. EVIL. Infected by a virus during his bachelor party, a mild-mannered HR manager attempts to fulfill his overwhelming desire for brains and avoid Max, the obsessed zombie hunter hot on his trail — all while keeping it together so as not to incur the wrath of his Bridezilla-to-be. "What's great about this particular zombie film is that it actually makes a good date movie!" — Fangoria. Winner, Best Feature, Calgary Underground Film Festival; Best Dark Comedy, World Fest-Houston.

Michael (Peter Cilella) is committed to getting his best friend Chris (Vinny Curran) to sober up and get his life back on track. With the best of intentions, Michael implements a plan to convince Chris to go to rehab. But what begins as an attempt to save his friend's life quickly takes an unexpected and terrifying turn as the two friends confront personal demons. "A captivating waking nightmare of a film, RESOLUTION tore out of nowhere when it premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in April and made almost every critic's best-of-fest lists…be prepared for something truly original, scary and special." — Mitch Davis, Fantasia programmer. "A deeply original horror masterpiece!" — Sight on Sound.

Double Feature: MANBORG with PRESIDENT WOLFMAN

MANBORG

From the demented souls at Astron-6 (FATHER'S DAY) comes the story of a dead soldier who finds himself reanimated as a cyborg killing machine in this cult-tastic throwback to '80s sci-fi action films like ROBOCOP and THE TERMINATOR. "Goofy, violent, funny, cheap, and charming." — IFC. "Enjoyably ridiculous!" — Variety

The President of the United States has been bitten by a werewolf and is loose on the streets of Washington, D.C., on a killing rampage! From the Spooky Movie alums behind such modern Grindhouse classics as PERVERT! (Spooky Movie 2006) and SEX GALAXY (Spooky Movie, 2008), this comedy/horror/political satire is also a 'green movie,' created entirely out of recycled stock and public domain footage. Be prepared for possibly the most shocking movie screened this year. Seriously.

The Mid-Atlantic region, home of cult legends John Waters, George Romero, Don Dohler, Jeff Krulik and more, has long been fertile ground for creative independent filmmaking. In the first-ever Spooky Movie Local Filmmaker Summit, area filmmakers will come together to discuss the making of films (of all genres) in the area.

Eduardo Sanchez, co-director of THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT and director of Spooky Movie 2011's LOVELY MOLLY will host a 90-minute roundtable discussion/Q&A about all aspects of true independent filmmaking, including casting, production, marketing and "making it." Joining him will be several local filmmakers, including Justin Timpane (NINJAS VS trilogy), Eric Thornett (A SWEET AND VICIOUS BEAUTY), Matt Lockhart (THE WATERMEN), Jamie Nash (TWO FRONT TEETH) and many more. Participating filmmakers will also present clips from their newest films.

In the town of Harbor Bridge, it is said that when someone dies, his last breath stays in his throat. When the head is severed, that last breath can be taken by another, and the recipient becomes stronger. Narcissa Sentinel (Bette Cassatt) has been robbing graves to cure her illness with these last breaths…but soon realizes that perhaps fresher specimens are in order. Shot locally, A SWEET AND VICIOUS BEAUTY is an epic Gothic Victorian movie that shows the journey of Sentinel from a sickly woman to a bloodthirsty mass murderer who terrorizes the town. From spooky old houses to headless zombies, this film has it all!

Bursting with martial arts, carnage, laughs, smarts and heart, NINJAS VS. MONSTERS is the perfect action/horror/comedy! Produced entirely in the Washington, D.C., metro area, the film offers a fresh take on classic movie monsters with a martial arts twist. Tired of being thwarted by the heroic ninjas, Dracula (Sam Lukowski) hatches an evil scheme to erase them from existence. Aided by Frankenstein, the Mummy, a werewolf and a trio of deadly, sexy witches, Dracula challenges the heroes to combat.

In a devastated post-apocalyptic world where the rules of reality are transformed by magic and madness, a vengeful police officer (Rafael Tombini) searches for a possessed serial killer. He finds in his way groups of survivors, some violent, some struggling to get by in this new place full of mystical dangers, where humanity seems on the brink of extinction. "An art house mixture of road movie, spaghetti western and different horror sub-genres such as zombie and black magic." — Dread Central.

Lost on a train of thought tunneling through the dark night of his unconscious, a former rabbinical student struggles to resolve a paralyzing conflict between his mind and his body. An audience favorite from the Los Angeles Fear and Fantasy Film Festival, where it debuted earlier this year. "It's hard to say what MOTION SICKNESS is about or what it means. What it is, is interesting, even mesmerizing, in a David Lynch sort of way. That, plus a touch of David Cronenberg's medical/body phobias." — Hollywood Investigator.

THE DUMP Two unrelated serial killers inconveniently bump into each other at the site they both use for dumping bodies. From Fangoria editor and Virginia native Rebekah McKendry. DIR/SCR/PROD Rebekah McKendry; SCR David Ian McKendry; PROD Jack Bennett, Matthew Currie Holmes. US, 2012, 11 min.

VAI COL LISCIO Two folk bands have been playing in a dance hall nonstop for a week in order to survive a terrifying threat. DIR/SCR/PROD Pier Paolo Paganelli; SCR Alessandro Orlati; PROD Daniele Paganelli. Italy, 2012, 12 min.

This documentary explores the fascinating, high-stakes world of special FX makeup and creature design through the eyes of one of the industry's key players, Greg Nicotero (TV's THE WALKING DEAD, GRINDHOUSE, DAY OF THE DEAD, KILL BILL, EVIL DEAD 2). Containing wonderful behind-the-scenes footage of some of the best genre films of the last 20 years, the film follows Nicotero as he pushes his team to employ every trick in their arsenal to create the most horrific creatures of all time.

MOTHER DIED A young woman confronts inevitability in this suspenseful and surprising story of fear, family and survival. Written and directed by FX maestro and BAFTA winner Neill Gorton, this is the fourth episode in the Bloody Cuts anthology of UK short horror films. DIR/SCR Neill Gorton; PROD Ben Franklin. UK, 2012, 7 min.

Something is missing in life. Every day, Tom (Jason Vail) goes through the motions, becoming increasingly detached from family and friends. His childhood friend Dan (Nicholas Wilder) thinks he has the solution, a shocking video which leaves Tom unsettled, flooding his mind with disturbing images and desires. Additional horrific videos soon follow, and Tom's life threatens to unravel as his mounting feelings of guilt and disillusionment give way to paranoia and fear. "If you have the opportunity to check it out, I strongly recommend that you do so without hesitation. Assuming, of course, your tender mind can handle this sort of terror." — Beyond Hollywood.

Friends Jenna (Scout Taylor-Compton), Renee (Christina Ulloa), Michael (Michael Copon) and Ian (Travis Van Winkle) plan to spend their weekend having fun at the cabin of Ian's uncle Wade (Tyler Mane, reuniting with Taylor-Compton from Rob Zombie's HALLOWEEN series). As one might expect when a group of twenty-somethings goes to a cabin in the woods together, things take a turn for the worse. Three of the friends find themselves trapped in a sauna, where the temperature rises and time begins to run out. Claustrophobic and (yes) surprising — not to be missed!

After a catastrophic accident at a top-secret research lab, a deadly virus is released into the city and all hell breaks loose. Controlled by a local crime lord, District 108 is the one place in the city the police don't want to go on a normal day. But today is not a normal day, and a crack SWAT team has been ordered to help evacuate the uninfected. The team meets fierce resistance from the local gangs, and both sides suffer heavy casualties before realizing that the guys with the guns aren't the real enemy. The first Taiwanese zombie film, this is a brutal, exploitive experience that owes as much to HOSTEL as it does George Romero. "Bizarre but at times brilliant, crude yet incredibly colorful…I liked it. I liked it a lot!" – 24 Frames Per Second.

DIR Joe Chien. Taiwan, 2012, color, 88 min. NOT RATED

Preceded by:

STATUS In the near future, social networking has moved out of the virtual world and into the physical. From 2010 Spooky Movie alum Richard Williamson (THE LONG NIGHT). DIR/SCR Richard Williamson; PROD Steve Jablonski. Australia, 2011, 20 min.

Closing Night:

After writing a bestseller, author Bruna Bloch (Guenia Lemos) fears failure with her second book. She enlists the services of Dr. Bartholomeu Bava (Leandro Daniel Colombo), inventor of a chip that, once installed in a brain nerve, causes nonstop creativity. The problems start when Bruna decides to test the chip first on a human guinea pig, Cristi Costa (Uyara Torrente). Things do not go exactly as planned. An exciting, gory and fun new feature by Spooky Movie alum Paulo Biscaia Filho (MORGUE STORY, TALES OF POE).

VELVET ROAD In the racially charged South of the 1960s, the black population of a small town is blamed for the spread of a virulent plague. DIR L. Gustavo Cooper; SCR Alexandria Lewis, Bragi F. Schut; PROD Heather Burky. US, 2011, 14 min.

A seedy bar owner hires a mysterious Croatian to murder an acquaintance over an unpaid debt. The crime is carried out, but a planned double-crossing backfires, and an innocent waitress suddenly becomes involved. Now a hostage in her own home, the young woman is driven to desperate measures to survive. A suspenseful yet darkly humorous chain of events builds to a bloodcurdling and unforgettable climax. "Rivals NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN in gritty style and suspense…an assured Hitchcockian slow-burn!" — Dread Central. Winner, Best Director, Best Actress and Best Cinematographer, Screamfest.

FOODIE A dark comedy about a food service industry professional who receives an invitation to an exclusive, underground dinner party and finds out there's more on the menu than he bargained for. DIR/SCR/PROD Christopher G. Moore; SCR/PROD Eryk Pruitt; PROD Ismail Abdelkhalek. US, 2012, 30 min.

Winner of Best Documentary at this year's Fantastic Fest, Michael Paul Stephenson's follow-up to his popular 2009 documentary BEST WORST MOVIE is an unconventional look at the Halloween cultural phenomenon of homemade haunted houses and the enthusiasts behind the scenes. Filmed in the sleepy enclave of Fairhaven, Massachusetts, this documentary follows the creative minds behind three local homemade haunts and their passionate—and sometimes harrowing—efforts to ignite their town's Halloween spirit each year. "Gorgeous and absolutely hilarious ... People are sweet, funny creatures; something Stephenson previously took an immense shine to in BEST WORST MOVIE and continues to incredibly do so here."—Fangoria.